NHL

Sharks look to build on last season's late success

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)

Preparations for the upcoming campaign started early for the San
Jose Sharks when they retooled their roster before last season's
trade deadline.

A strong finish last spring, followed by a playoff run that
ended in Game 7 of the second round, proved to the Sharks that
those changes that made the team faster and more aggressive
worked.

Now they hope that new identity carries over to this season and
is just the right tonic to help one of the league's top
regular-season teams over the past decade take that next step and
make it to the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise
history.

''The fact that they played that way, that they executed, had
some success with it, should be rewarding,'' coach Todd McLellan
said. ''They should be embracing the opportunity to do it
again.''

The change from a slow-moving puck-possession team to a faster,
more physical one that plays a more direct style began when San
Jose dealt players like Ryane Clowe, Douglas Murray and Michal
Handzus.

The Sharks added Raffi Torres and moved Brent Burns from defense
to forward to create three potent scoring lines and altered their
style as well after years of a different approach.

General manager Doug Wilson made few changes in the offseason
with the most notable moves being the acquisition of forward Tyler
Kennedy from Pittsburgh and the signing of 2012 first-round draft
pick Tomas Hertl from the Czech Republic.

''These players have the ingredients we're looking for to match
up with the system we want to play,'' Wilson said. ''We want to
play a north-south game, attack people, make them defend, and
you've got to have players that have that skill set to be able to
do that. We're coming back, and if we're ready to build on what we
did last year, we're very excited about this team.''

Those additions will be important after Torres injured his right
knee in training camp and will miss at least the first month of the
season.

Here are five things to watch for the Sharks this season:

SHUFFLING LINES: McLellan wants to keep Logan Couture and
Patrick Marleau together on one line with Joe Thornton and Burns on
another after those pairs fared well late last season. The third
player on those top lines could rotate with Kennedy and Hertl most
likely getting the first opportunities. San Jose wants to keep Joe
Pavelski as a third-line center to exploit teams that lack the
Sharks' depth up the middle.

POTENT POWER PLAY: The Sharks had one of top No. 1 power-play
units last season with Thornton, Marleau, Couture, Pavelski and Dan
Boyle combining for 25 of the team's 34 man-advantage goals. The
problems came with the second unit and in 5-on-5 play, where San
Jose ranked third worst in goals scored at even strength.

LEADING LOGAN: The Sharks have long been led by veteran stars
like Thornton, Marleau and Boyle. But last season, the 24-year-old
Couture emerged as the team's top player and a leader. Couture led
the Sharks with 21 goals and had 37 points, while also matching up
with the opponent's top line much of the season. That kind of play
could earn him a spot on the Canadian Olympic team and a letter on
his sweater as an alternate captain this season.

FINDING NEMO'S BACKUP: With Thomas Greiss having left for
Phoenix after two seasons as Antti Niemi's backup, the Sharks are
looking for a No. 2 goaltender to ease the burden on their
workhorse starter. Niemi has made more than 80 percent of the
starts since joining the Sharks three years ago, including all but
five in the lockout-shortened 2013 season. But with a full 82-game
schedule and possible Olympic appearance for Niemi, the Sharks want
to fine a reliable backup between Alex Stalock and Harri Sateri to
ease Niemi's load.

HAVLAT'S HEALTH: Marty Havlat was limited to parts of two games
last postseason before a groin injury became too serious to
overcome. Havlat had major surgery in June to repair the injury and
is working his way back to full health. Havlat has been plagued by
injuries in two seasons with the Sharks, missing 51 regular-season
games. But San Jose still believes he can be an important playoff
contributor if healthy based on his 52 points in 74 career playoff
games. ''We look forward to the day that Marty is fully healthy and
he can play uninterrupted,'' McLellan said. ''We'll be excited
about having him then.''

Related Stories

Member Comments

Please note by clicking on "Post comment" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Use and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Be Polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed by the moderator.